OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Scrupulosity in Islam

“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.” – Arabian Proverb

Wikipedia defines scrupulosity as a psychological disorder “characterized by pathological guilt about moral or religious issues. It is personally distressing, objectively dysfunctional, and often accompanied by significant impairment in social functioning”.

Religious practice and devotion are not necessarily the cause of scrupulosity. Scrupulosity is considered a form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD can occur in different forms. There are a variety of different types of obsessions and compulsions. The nature of intensity of these symptoms may vary over time. In some cases, aggressive, sexual and religious obsessions can occur together in the same individual.

The obsessions in OCD are the recurrent thoughts or impulses that make an individual anxious (such as the fear of germs in public places making one sick). Despite an individual’s efforts to control and suppress the obsessive thoughts, the obsessions persist. The thoughts often feel intrusive and disturbing despite the individual’s awareness of the thoughts being produced in their own mind. Obsessions can include fear of harming someone, becoming contaminated, and/or doing something embarrassing.

Compulsions, however, are repetitive behaviors or mental acts the person feels driven to perform. These acts are often with ritualistic rigidity aimed to prevent the anxiety connected with the obsessions. These actions may include the urge to wash, count, check, or repeat phrases to oneself.

OCD appears to be a biologically based disorder with severe psychological consequences. According to the OCD foundation about 1 in 100 adults – or between 2 to 3 million adults in the United States have OCD. The OCD foundation also estimates at least 1 in 200 – or 500,000 – kids and teens that have OCD in the United States. OCD statistics is assumed that up to 2.5 percent of the world population is affected obsessive-compulsive disorder. Some compulsive symptoms are detected in approximately eight percent of population.

People suffering from OCD also end up suffering from depression, a lack of self-esteem and self confidence, very weak willpower, relationship problems, and social withdrawal.

How Scrupulosity differs from devout faith and practice

According to the hadith “Abu Huraira (may God be pleased with him) reported the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The religion of Islam is easy, and whoever makes the religion a rigour, it will overpower him. So, follow a middle course (in worship); if you can’t do this, do something near to it and give glad tidings and seek help (of Allah) in the morning and at dusk and some part of the night” [al Bukhari]. Scrupulosity is when the individual is overpowered by their devotion and practice of their faith. The scrupulous individual will focus excessively on a few specific rules and rituals while neglecting other aspects of the religion. It often involves mistakenly thinking that innocent or unavoidable things are sin and so feeling needlessly guilty. When scrupulosity turns to obsessive thoughts, it can generate upsetting, uncontrollable blasphemous thoughts or images about God, or exalting the devil.

Just as some people with OCD feel compelled to keep checking locks or washing their hands, others might feel compelled to obsess over blasphemous thoughts that they hate or to keep doubting their salvation. Due to the doubting nature of scrupulosity, it has been also been called “pathological doubt”. OCD sufferers will take a simple act of locking a door, switching off the oven, or seeking Allah’s forgiveness, and then worry abnormally over whether they did it correctly. They feel driven to keep seeking assurance far beyond what is rational.

Scrupulosity is considered a hidden disease due to the fact that it can fill people with such false guilt that many are unlikely to admit to it, while others have no idea that they have an unhealthy sense of guilt and so suppose there is nothing wrong with them.

In Islam, such unwanted thoughts are called wasawis (plural of waswasah), which are whispered into the minds and hearts of people by Shaitan (Satan). These wasawis play a significant role in many mental disorders that involve anxiety and cognitive distortions. Although wasawis can affect individuals regardless of age, sex, faith, or creed, the nature, content, severity, and influence of these thoughts varies in individuals. For some, they only cause mild anxiety and worry, while others are more severely affected to the point of becoming spiritually, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and socially paralyzed. Recurring thoughts about catching germs, being unclean, and questioning one’s faith appear to be the most common form of OCD amongst Muslim men and women but those suffering from scrupulosity, the unwanted thoughts tend to be more debilitating.

In the process of wasawis, Shaitan doesn’t care about the thoughts and doubts he sets buzzing around in our heads. Shaitan knows we will not be judged for the thoughts he has implanted in our heads because they are his thoughts, not ours. It is an impossible task to stop unwanted thoughts from coming in our minds. While we are busy battling unwanted thoughts from our mind, Shaitan accomplishes his goal of distracting us from the essential teachings of Islam. The goal of every Muslim should be to strengthen our faith and connection to Allah and not waste time avoiding certain thoughts or feelings.

Shaitan will try and distract us from his real schemes and instead focuses our attention on past sins instead of present forgiveness. Shaitan will also try and trick us into becoming so preoccupied with needlessly worrying about dishonoring God with words that we do not even mean, that we don’t notice that we are dishonoring God by not believing the extent of His love and forgiveness, even towards those of us who feel certain we are the worst sinners ever to walk this planet. No matter how terrible the words or images that invade our mind are, we are not “sinning”. Shaitan will also try and entice us to fear Quranic verses that apply only to people who until their dying day stubbornly refuse to repent from their deliberate sin/backsliding and refuse to seek forgiveness. Shaitan’s hope is that we become so alarmed by the few words in the verses that do not apply to us that we lose sight of the enormous number of joyous verses that do apply – those promising salvation to everyone who repents and believes in Allah and His messenger. Shaitan’s dirty trick is to put despicable thoughts in our mind and then blame us or Allah for it. Allah isn’t fooled into blaming us for Shaitan’s trickery and we shouldn’t be fooled either. Just like we can’t stop Shaitan from being Shaitan, we can’t stop thoughts of temptation from popping into our thoughts. All we can do is stop ourselves from being deceived by the thoughts.

All in all, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder. It is fear/anxiety that keeps us hounded by doubts, guilt feelings or unwanted thoughts that keep repeating in our minds. It is the very nature of deceiving spirits to foster and exploit fear for their evil purposes, and their highest goal is to fool us into losing faith in our religion.

Treatment of Scrupulosity

Like other forms of OCD, scrupulosity responds to medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). About 60%–80% of patients show some degree of response to treatment. The neurotransmitter serotonin appears to be involved in the pathology of OCD. Medications that boost the level of serotonin in the brain such as SSRI’s (e.g. clomipramine, fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, and citalopram) are the most effective in treating OCD.

Cognitive-Behavioral therapy (CBT), specifically Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) has been successfully used for the treatment of OCD. ERP focuses on the fact that compulsions provide only a temporary reduction of the anxiety produced by obsessions. The only way to experience more permanent relief is to habituate (get used to) the anxiety caused by the obsession, without performing the compulsion. The key factor of ERP is habituation. While this type of therapy typically causes some short-term anxiety, this facilitates long-term reduction in obsessive and compulsive symptoms. Facing the negative, unwanted thoughts will create anxiety. It is highly unpleasant, but they must disregard their fears in order to benefit from treatment. Facing their anxiety is an unavoidably unpleasant experience, but they must continually force themselves to stay close to God, even though their fears of rejection and divine displeasure are immense. As the person with scrupulosity begins to face his/her fears, he/she may experience a temporary increase in anxiety but with continued support and medication, the anxiety will decrease and symptoms will improve

When overwhelmed by unwanted thoughts:

Keep in mind, first and foremost, Allah (swt) has prescribed a balanced approach to Islam and reassured us His mercy and forgiveness are ever so near. So if fear, anxiety, or condemnation comes upon us, it is not from God. It is simply a dirty trick of Shaitan trying to get us to take our eyes off the infinite saving power of Allah (swt).

When unwanted thoughts or fears hit, do your best not to let the attack distress you. Let it wash over you, keeping as calm and unconcerned as you can. The thoughts or images won’t hurt you, and God does not accuse you. Allah (swt) knows best, even better than you do, that these thoughts are not yours. Temptation usually takes the form of thoughts being satanically placed on our minds, and temptation is not sin.

When you reach the point where you don’t react to the unwanted thoughts of doubt, oppressive guilt feelings, and spiritually repulsive thoughts, the attacks themselves will lessen. Psychological fact: Anxiety is a driving force behind Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so if you are not anxious about the thoughts, you’ll notice a significant reduction in the attacks. Spiritual fact: When Shaitan is thoroughly convinced that he can no longer use such things as unwanted thoughts to annoy you, or undermine your faith, he will eventually begin to tire of that approach and only try it now and again, just to check that you have not reverted to being concerned by such attacks.

We give pleasure and power to Shaitan when we fall into his trap of supposing that his plan is to get us to think or feel wrong things. Shaitan’s main goal is to get us distracted so he can ambush us.

Shaitan’s evil scheme is not to entice us to think or feel anti-God things but to fool us into denying the saving power of Allah (swt) by us forgetting Allah’s power to continually forgive every person who repents and puts faith in him.

Daily Exercises:

When unwanted thoughts creep in your mind, catch them and write them down. Right below the thought, challenge the thought by asking if that is a true thought. Is it 100% true about you? Below that write down,
“it’s just a thought”.

Practice daily affirmations such as “I’m doing the best that I can”, “My thoughts are just thoughts and only have power over me if I give them power and I choose not to empower these unwanted thoughts”, “I put my trust and faith in Allah’s mercy and forgiveness”. The affirmations might not feel true for you but repeating them daily will help you replace the negative thoughts with the positive affirmations, thereby lessening the power of the negative unwanted thoughts.

Actively get involved in a deeply engrossing activity that you enjoy such as exercising (yoga, running, biking, etc.) or playing a board game where you are not focused on the negative thoughts.

Force yourself to smile. This simple act will automatically make you feel happier and relax. Your mind is incapable of having a good and bad thought at the same time. When you smile, you force your mind to focus on the positive rather than the negative.

Work with a mental health professional to address the symptoms of scrupulosity. Past traumas (like sexual/physical abuse) and unsavory conduct and lifestyles of the past that may be responsible for severe guilt leading to OCD, must be dealt with in therapy with a trained mental health professional.

It is often useful for mental health practioners and religious leaders to work together in raising awareness and educating the community about Scrupulosity. The religious leader can help the community members distinguish legitimate concerns about faith and guilt from stereotyped religious obsessions. If an individual is compulsively repeating a ritual until it is perfect, the Imams may need to give individuals special permission to perform a ritual in a less than perfect manner. This can lead to freedom from excessive guilt and stereotyped religious obsessions. Ultimately, the individual is freed to experience a richer life in his or her family and faith community.

Dr. Nafisa Sekandari is the director and founder of Mental Health 4 Muslims.com. Dr. Sekandari is currently licensed and practicing in California and Arizona. Dr. Sekandari is also the current founder and director of MH4M Counseling and Education Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Additionally, Dr. Sekandari is a published author and lecturer.

60 comments

I just wanted to say JazakAllah khair for making this informative post. It has helped a lot in understanding OCD and scrupulousityand how I can cope with it in a practical and religious way. Please keep posting about mental health with relation to Islam.
May Allah reward your efforts! Ameen.

Asalamualkum, I’m in a big deep trouble here wallahi. These thoughts come like a missle, they attack me so fast and so powerful, I can’t even think straight I get so worried my stomach hurts. I don’t know what to do, I get horrible thoughts of me doing something horrible to my baby brothers, like murder and rape. I don’t know what to do. I’m praying and reading quran but sometimes I just feel so helpless like, it’s eating me alive. Ya Allah should I see a psychiatrist, I’m afraid i do. Because a psychiatrist is not a muslim and doesn’t know what we value in religious beliefs. Anyone please help me, my name is adam and my phone # is 12052335592

I have the same problem and I get weird thoughts about my past, religion and akhira, I was under medication for almost one year but they were effective as long as I was taking them, once I stopped everything came back so this time I saw Psychologist and I had the same feeling that they wont understand me and my religion but I thought I will give it a try to see what they say because I was suffering, but Alhamdulillah with therapy lot of my doubts are clear and I understand it better now, they didn’t tell me anything to harm my belief or religion perhaps they will give you examples which suits my lifestyle, culture and religion. Alhamdulillah I am doing quite well now not taking any medication and still attending therapies but changed the frequency from weekly to monthly.
I would strongly suggest to go for therapy with medication in the beginning if required and continue therapy, they wont take your thoughts and Anxiety away but will remove your doubts and help you manage it better which wont bother you even if it comes to your mind.

I pray Allah to give you shifa and all other people who are suffering.
Ameen

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahiwabaraktu brother, remember Islam is the religion of peace. Understand the meaning of the Quran, love Allah’s words and always seek refuge with Allah. Constantly believe in Allah(S.W.T) and be sincere in du’a. I’ll pray for you.
May Allah help you to get through OCD, protect you from all forms of Shaitan and ease all your trials. Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.

Br. Adam, this is an anxiety disorder. Don’t be afraid of your thoughts. They are just thoughts. They are not from you, it is what you hear, like hearing dogs barking. Just ignore them without fighting them. Let them come and go. You should find a psychologist or psychiatrist. Preferably a Muslim one. You can ask the author of the above article if she knows one in your area. Also, look at the contributor writers on this website, some are male psychologists, all Muslims – some of them do skype sessions online. In the mean time, please buy the book “Hope and Help for your Nerves” by Dr. Claire Weekes. also look into the book “Brain Lock”.

Don’t panic. You are a good man, Allah will protect you. You just need to remain calm and trust yourself and Allah. This will all be over soon, iA. Like I said, it is an anxiety disorder and the reason you are having the thoughts again and again is not because you will act on them, it is only because they are so alien to you that they scare you. Be assured that you will not act on them. Once you lose the fear, the thoughts will lose their purpose of scaring you and go away.

Salamu alaikum,this post has encouraged me to some extent of having hope..am an average practicing Muslim but of recent like4months ago,i began to think that Allah is too merciful on me,others are dying,some are poor,some have life threatening diseases,some have failed marriages and so on and so forth,i began to fear that any moment something terribly bad will happen to me or my spouse or my children,i began to have a severe fear of Death,anywhere i hear about death i become inquisitive about it,maybe when i hear some body die as a result of a sudden headache,i will start thinking maybe i too will die from headache,just a mild headache will make me panic..i couldn’t eat,am not the same person i am,lost alot of weight,begin to have panic attacks but i didn’t stop praying and fasting..Alhamdulillah the attacks has stopped as a result of praying,my appetite has increased but sometime i have thoughts like is it really true prophet Muhammad did exist?does shaitan?or what if i die and islam is not the true religion what will happen to me?or even if Allah exist he will never forgive me and will never allow me to enter Paradise..or sometimes when i want to do something i will start having some thoughts like”maybe this is the last time i will do so and so thing,maybe i will die after doing this”.Any time i have this thoughts i become miserable and full of fear but i never quit praying to Allah SWT,pls will i ever become normal,the way i was before?i cry in sujood telling Allah my problems and asking him to relieve me of this suffering,will it ever get better?am suffering internally i don’t think anybody can understand what am really going through.

Salam, i am a 27 year old woman who since Christmas have been dealing with horrible, depressing thoughts that have triggered from absolutely nowhere. These horrible thoughts include doing hideous things including raping my sisters daughter, who is my niece and I love dearly I am beyond mortified, its effected my eating , socialising, and everything else. I have had a very 2 difficult years and accomplished a lot , I find myself questioning why would God the Al Mighty just remove these thoughts when he is so capable? Its come to a point now where I cant even think anything sexual with my fiancée without a sick image of my niece popping into my head. I pray ,I do dhikir but as soon as I wake up and its time for work the thoughts follow me throughout the day. I will read all my surahs ect I am a good person with a good heart and love Allah very dearly ,but im weak I cannot handle this kind of torture.Allah dose not burden a soul more then it can handle so why am I being put through this why is the shaythan allowed to do this to me? I am so so down, my parents are old, I have so many other issues to deal with this is the last thing I need to worry about please please please all remember a sister in your prayers. I just wish I could wake up and never ever think of this ever again If it is impossible for me its not impossible for my lord I just wish he’d grant me this. I read my ayatul kursi 7 times , surah nas everything but it just follows me its now coming on a month , I don’t want to take anti depressants , I just want god to heal me the devil is not bigger then my lord. There was a time when they completely went for a whole week , then I came on my period and it started all over again? How is that possible even , please my brothers and sisters pray for me I have so much to look forward to but not excited any more, matter of fact nothing excites me and no worldly life issue upsets me. I could deal with anything bar this the illness of the mind is the most painful , hardest and indeed the most upsetting.

Assalamualaikum my brothers and sisters I am in deep despair as my biggest fear is to evil worship and all these thoughts come into my head. I just want to know something, If I thought that I Loved something that was wrong that doesn’t mean I submitted to it correct please help and pray for me my brothers and sisters

Walikumusalam. These are just thoughts.. Allah does not punish you for the thoughts because they are not under your control. Just do your best and remember that Allah loves you Turn to Him, it does not matter what you did. I am sure whatever you think you did, you did not, it is just your fear which makes you think you did it. Even if you think you did something remember that Allah is the Most gracious and the Most Merciful.

What a wonderful post! Can I please speak to you? Please tell me how to deal with the fact that one is tricked into believing that it is his own thought? It is extremely hard to deal with the guilt and it interferes in every other activity.

It’s important to differentiate between a rational thought and an irrational thought. OCD can be tricky because it can make us fully believe the irrational thought as being rational. Start with journaling all the thoughts that are bothersome and ask yourself “Is this true”? “If so, how do I know it’s true”? “What is the percentage that it is a true statement? 100%, 80%, 2%?” Obviuosly we would not react the same to something that is only 2 percent true vs. 100% true. If you still cannot differentiate, ask others what they think. Sometimes we need an objective perspective until we learn how to distinguish between rational and irrational thoughts.

Allah accepts our intentions and insha’Allah your prayers will be accepted if your intentions are good. The intrusive thoughts are just thoughts. Throughout the day, we get many kinds of thoughts but we ignore them. They will not harm you unless you obsess about the thoughts, which means you are struggling with OCD and need to get professional help to help you overcome and control the thoughts.

I have exactly the same thoughts has been for 18 years already. i sweat at Allah in my prayer, I curse in my head I think the most horrible things I dont even want to mention it. I happens a lot when it is Ramadaan and I try to do more good. I have been on medication and left it. Please make duah for me.

I am going through this intrusive thoughts came out of no where , my mind keeps telling me to become homosexual which I never in my life thought of & to become a transgender ! I loved my life the way it was , now I am doubting myself & this is giving me anxiety! I can’t look at women anymore (I am a woman) I stay away from them incase I get attracted to them & I am scared of being a transgender ! I just wish I can be old me again! Happy with myself loved being a woman but now I don’t feel like my self no more .
I need help ! I am praying salah reciting lot of Quran e pak..

Alhamdulillah, thanks a lot for your article dr. I beleive Islam have solve for our problem. When we feel so far with Allah every problem will come and Saitan have many step to make we far. Please dr, write again article like this and I feel so calm and near with Allah when I read this article.

Assalam alikum wa rahamthullaih wa barkhahu
I’m so afriad because I get very vulgar thoughts that are most dangerous thoughts I can’t even say to you I think sometimes I need to die because I can’t remove this thoughts form my mind when I’m in Salah and when I’m reciting quran when I’m reciting dhikar even when I’m asking forgiveness with ALLAH SWT the thoughts are coming in my mind again and again it not with one thought some many thoughts . I don’t Allah SWT is accepting my deeds are not even I don’t understand I’m become a Kaffir asthagfirullah I can’t understand what is going I have no position in my life form 5 months different types of thoughts are coming into my mind I can’t tell what kind thoughts coming in my mind. I can’t even sleep at night by this thoughts even my family so worried about me. I’m a particeing Muslim. But I never miss my Salah. Can me help me if ALLAH SWT wills. make dua for me in sha Allah. ALLAH SWT may help me. Please give suggestions form removing the thoughts. Waalsam alikum wa rahamthullaih wa barkhahu.

Walaikum Salaam. I’m sorry to hear about your suffering. Please follow the guidelines in the article and find a trained mental health professional that can help you better understand and control your symptoms. OCD is treatable and there are trained mental health professionals to help you so please seek help and stop suffering needlessly. May Allah ease your suffering and guide you towards the help you need.

We cannot provide mental health support via the website but can recommend seeking help for your suffering. There is probably more going on but know there is help available and there is no need to suffer needlessly.

thanks Dr Nafisa for aneedy article
I’m having this scrupulosity OCD , more than 25 yrs
Just recently I’m a ware about it.
The problem is I can’t achieve my goals, I lose my confidence, I m not a happy person, I feel mentally and emotionally paralyzed. I used to have the intrusive thoughts and do my rituals mentally by avoiding thinking about it. But now I don’t feel anxious, I feel it’s part of me. I feel disintegrated.
I’m looking for intensive residential program to deal specifically with my OCD type, where I can stay and distracted from other responsibilities and just concentrate on treating and understand my self..
But I need a Muslim religion adviser along with mental Councillar, can u recommend a place deal with my problem

Salaam Afra. The residential program options would depend on where you live and what your affordability would be. Treating OCD doesn’t necessarily require a Muslim therapist since the skills you learn to manage OCD can be applied to the religiosity. Religiosity or scrupulosity impacts all religions so even finding a therapist who specializes in scrupulosity with Christians for example would be beneficial for you. As you learn to have more control of your OCD, you can customize the treatment to your own specific obsessions and compulsions. At this time I would recommend starting with a trained mental health professional and see where that takes you. If that is not sufficient, then look for residential treatment centers. Hope that helps.

Dear Dr sikandari one of my nephew who has got b.sc degree and doing B.S in fashion designing is an o.c.d patient he hate his brother and consider him his enemy in home he does strange acts and clapping hands and kicking in air he sleeps less in night but out of home he behaves well seems normal all problems and uncontrolled thoughts and abnormal acts he performs in home he develop this disease when he was 13 years old now he is 25 his physique is so awesome and healthy
From Hassan Khan principal govt higher secondary school rajjar 2 charsadda k.p pakistan

Assalamualaikum mam,
I am suffering from OCD as well as SCRUPULOSITY. First of All, i began to get thoughts of dying n death and then suddenly it turned in getting terrible bad thoughts about Allah, islam and prophets…. I have seen this post n Alhamdulillah helped… But now when i overcome the thoughts , then i get thoughts of dying n death which make me depressed again.

I was praying consistently and i was close to Allah that suddenly a thought came about a reigious pure figure and when i tried to divert my attention it shifted towards another pure religious figure,its been weeks,my life seems ruined.I swear to Allah it seems like i am being punished in this World and em also gonna be punished in the hereafter.These thoughts tear me apart and i hit myself so bad,i am losing my faith and i am tired of these as these are about the purest creatures thathave ever lived on this earth Wallahi,i am even worried that Allah will give azaab to me along with my family and friends too with whom i have connections.During namaz,these thoughts are atleast reduced,i cry and after that these again come back,i am so pre occupied that i want to kill myself.I am Truly a believer and i believe in Allah and the Holy prophet SAW but the thoughts are about someone whom Allah and Prophet SAW love the most and so do I,i swear to Allah i always try to fight the thoughts but they resist everytime and then i panic and once i panic,then i am done.Thoughts become worse.Please help me and tell me some medicine if one can help.

What you are dealing with is Religious (Scrupulosity) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which is an anxiety based disorder. You must work with a trained MENTAL HEALTH professional that specializes with OCD to get the relief you need. Medication alone will not help since a lot has to do with thought awareness and control. You might also consider lifestyle changes such as sleep, stress level, diet, exercise, meditation, etc. They contribute greatly to our overall well being. There is a direct connection between food and mood. Make sure you are eating clean and eating enough protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates. Eating foods rich in serotonin will help as well.

Salam! I‘m quite unsure if I really suffer from ocd since I don’t want to diognost myself but rather I think a actual doctor should do that, but the symptoms come near to what I experience every day. It‘s really bad… I feel like my wudu and my prayer won’t be accepted and I make wudu several times and pray one prayer so many times. It stresses me out mentally and physically…I really don’t know what to do anymore…I have thoughts during prayer that I don’t want to have and I start it all over again… there are also many other things that i won’t go into detail but anyways I will try the things you wrote down and inshallah it will get better… anyways I’m writing this because I want to thank you for taking your time and giving your knowledge for free to everyone! May Allah give you a lot of blessings for this!
Also another thing I wanted to ask is: Can anexiety attacs come hand in hand with ocd or are they two completely different things?
Thank you very much 🙂

What you are dealing with is Religious (Scrupulosity) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which is an anxiety based disorder. You must work with a trained MENTAL HEALTH professional that specializes with OCD to get the relief you need. You might also consider lifestyle changes such as sleep, stress level, diet, exercise, meditation, etc. They contribute greatly to our overall well being.

Im a mother 3 children, i suddenly started have thoughts telling me I sexually abuse my children. now i cant be around them without anxiety. im anxious all the time, now even amongst other people. cant be in public spaces bec of fear of the thoughts coming. only when im only do the thoughts stop but the anxiety does not go away.
it stays with me the whole day. i have been put on meds but nothing seems to help infact it is just getting worse,
dont know what to do..

What you are dealing with is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which is an anxiety based disorder. You must work with a trained MENTAL HEALTH professional that specializes with OCD to get the relief you need. Medication alone will not help since a lot has to do with thought awareness and control. You might also consider lifestyle changes such as sleep, stress level, diet, exercise, meditation, etc. They contribute greatly to our overall well being.

Hi. Just read the post and it is very helpful. I don’t know if I’m suffering from OCD. Last year I have severe stomach issues and I went for treatment and still going for treatment and My doctor has not found out what my problem is but it’s definitely a stomach issue and sometime I feel great and full of live but most of the time I feel down and have this thought stuck in my mind that I cannot stay happy and I will die. Now the dying thought doesn’t really bother me what bothers me is why the thought is there everyday. Like I can be doing anything and suddenly the thought strike that something will happen to me. My question is, is it from shaytan or what is it. Please need your help.

It sounds like anxiety but OCD is an anxiety based disorder. Try the suggestions in the article as well as incorporate relaxation strategies and work with a trained mental health professional to help you manage your symptoms.

Thank you for this enlightening post.. however, I’m unable to comprehend my nature of thoughts & if it’s even related to the above you mentioned.. Four five years ago, I was a practising muslim, stopped listening to music, praying & reading Quran regularly, memorizing a lot many surahs & every religious act with great conviction & taking pride in whatever I did.. the good pride, ofcourse.. then 3 years ago, I got married & for some unfortunate reasons, the marriage broke & I started to work in an office.. during my marriage days, I was getting a lot distracted, missing prayers & that feeling of closeness that I had with Allah was still not there.. though I regularly pray, read Quran, etc.. even till this day, it’s the same.. but now I cannot even focus anymore.. no matter what I do, I’m not in that moment.. any activity I do, I have totally unrelated thoughts happening & I’m unable to concentrate on any of my works.. please advise what I should be doing & what even is this so I can get any psychological help, inshaAllah..

S.A. You might be suffering from loss of your marriage and haven’t fully healed or moved on. That’s pure speculation of course. You can talk to a trained mental health professional so they can tease out what is going on with you. It may or may not be OCD but since you are so close to the situation, you will need help from a trained professional. Best of luck.

Try some of the suggestions and see if they will help you. There are definitely natural alternatives to medication but you do need to also focus on diet and exercise as well as sleep and environmental stressors.

Assalamualaikum sister,
From last 4 to 5 years I am suffering from such type of unwanted thought it comes in my mind every where for any one specially in holy places and also in salah.i always have guilt about this.due to such type of thought I feel distraction low energy and anger on others…pls give me suggestions….

Walaikum Salaam! What you appear to be dealing with is Religious (Scrupulosity) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which is an anxiety based disorder. Try some of the suggestions and see if they will help you. You must work with a trained MENTAL HEALTH professional that specializes with OCD to get the relief you need. You might also consider lifestyle changes such as sleep, stress level, diet, exercise, meditation, etc. They contribute greatly to our overall well being. There is a direct connection between food and mood. Make sure you are eating clean and eating enough protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates. Eating foods rich in serotonin will help as well. Also journaling out your anger will be beneficial.

Try some of the suggestions and see if they will help you. If you can’t go to a mental health professional, you should consider lifestyle changes such as sleep, stress level, diet, exercise, meditation, etc. They contribute greatly to our overall well being. There is a direct connection between food and mood. Make sure you are eating clean and eating enough protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates. Eating foods rich in serotonin will help as well. Also journaling out your anger will be beneficial.

I feel like everything is dirty. I can’t touch any door locks as i feel its dirty and if I touch it my prayers won’t be accepted. I have another problem regarding my pee. Like many people i have the same problem of pee not cleared all the time. Even after cleaning it for 2-3 mins after a few moment pee gets out automatically. And after that i have to take shower every time this happens. I can’t touch my pant after doing pee and even if I touch it mistakenly i have to wash my hand several times until my mind gets cool. And things like this comes in my mind: after touching the pant if i touch anything else it gets dirty and after doing wudu if I touch those substances my prayer won’t be accepted. Please give me a solution.

What you are dealing with is OCD. Work with a trained mental health professional to help you manage your symptoms. Try some of the suggestions in the article and see if they will help you. If you can’t go to a mental health professional, you should consider lifestyle changes such as sleep, stress level, diet, exercise, meditation, etc. They contribute greatly to our overall well being. There is a direct connection between food and mood. Make sure you are eating clean and eating enough protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates. Eating foods rich in serotonin will help as well. Also journaling out your feelings will be beneficial.

Dear Sister in Islam
I have this issue of unnecessary guilt and making myself accountable for minor moral failures in the past I also feel that I may have done something that was a violation of huqooq ul ibad and I will go to hell because my good deeds will be taken on Qayamah. I am too harsh on myself and feel anxiety and restlessness. Also I am getting unproductive please suggest me some solutions to overcome these issues and whether should I really try to be so perfect in every manner.

What you appear to be dealing with is Religious (Scrupulosity) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which is an anxiety based disorder. Try some of the suggestions in the article and see if they will help you. You must work with a trained MENTAL HEALTH professional that specializes with OCD to get the relief you need. You might also consider lifestyle changes such as sleep, stress level, diet, exercise, meditation, etc. They contribute greatly to our overall well being. There is a direct connection between food and mood. Make sure you are eating clean and eating enough protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates. Eating foods rich in serotonin will help as well. Also journaling out your anger will be beneficial.

I dont know whether…i have ocd or not….but yes i have done many time blasphemous act in past….and i have stucked into that…..allhamdullillah i think i am 80% ok now…..i think after my marriage everything will be ok……..its very hard to control the whispers of iblis (shaytan). Thanks for this post…..

My daughter has Religiois OCd.she repeat same questions again and again.i am fed up of this.no medicine effect on her.she went to three doctors.but in vain.5years has gone.she said no theripy wil effect her.wil u suggest some other thing.or tricks for it

My daughter has Religiois OCd.she repeat same questions again and again.i am fed up of this.no medicine effect on her.she went to three doctors.but in vain.5years has gone.she said no theripy wil effect her.wil u suggest some other thing.or tricks for it.plz help.i am a muslim.my girl has stopped praying because this illness.she said Allah didnt have mercy on her and when ever she try to pray these thoughts became more and more.

i have lot of evil thoughts i cant control them all my life has change it give me bad thoughts towards my son and husband of harming my sons and m’y husband i get images as well i do djikr and listeng to ruqya it worsen my situation pls i need help